The Truth Church

Pastor Hilton preaches from 2 Corinthians 3:18, emphasizing that believers are transformed 'from glory to glory' by the Spirit of the Lord. He establishes that God is a God of order, evident in creation, the Old Covenant laws, and the New Jerusalem. However, a spiritual law of entropy—the law of sin described by Paul in Romans 7—constantly pulls humanity toward disorder and decay, just as the physical second law of thermodynamics does. This sin nature entered through Adam's fall and persists in every person and every industry, leading to perpetual moral corrosion. Yet God provides a restorative process: just as He sent a flood in Noah's day to reestablish order, He now offers grace through Jesus Christ. Pastor Hilton explains that the Old Covenant glory, which caused Moses' face to shine so brightly it had to be veiled, was temporary. The New Covenant ministration of the Spirit is far more glorious and is not veiled. Believers are living epistles, changed by beholding the Lord's glory. This transformation is not achieved by human effort but by the Spirit's power. The preacher urges the congregation not to be satisfied with past experiences of glory—whether receiving the Holy Ghost, baptism, or revelation—but to continually pursue more of God's glory, moving from one degree of glory to the next through ongoing devotion and surrender to the Spirit.

Pastor Hilton preached from Joshua 6 and 7, contrasting the victory at Jericho with the defeat at Ai. He emphasized that the Israelites shouted before the walls fell, acting on God's promise rather than their circumstances. He warned against complacency, using the example of the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh who chose to stay on the east side of the Jordan, content with the wilderness experience rather than crossing into the promised land. He stressed that personal decisions affect the entire church, as seen when Achan's sin caused Israel's defeat at Ai. Pastor Hilton also referenced the ten spies who gave an evil report, focusing on the giants and walls rather than God's promise, contrasting them with Joshua and Caleb who said, 'they are bread for us.' He urged the congregation not to be satisfied on 'this side of Jordan,' but to press into the fullness of God's promises, leaving behind comfort zones and the wilderness mindset. He concluded by warning that disunity and sin can halt revival, sharing a personal example of being rebuked by his pastor for arguing immediately after a powerful service, illustrating how one poor decision can stop spiritual momentum. The central question of the sermon was: 'Do you want victory or not?' He called for a revival of God's Spirit, insisting that the church must fight for the victory already promised.

Reverend Goff preached from Matthew 14 and Mark 6, focusing on the aftermath of John the Baptist's beheading. Jesus and the apostles, grieving John's death, withdrew to a desert place, but the multitude followed. When the apostles, hurt and wanting to be alone, urged Jesus to send the people away, he instead commanded them to feed the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. The miracle that followed—blessing, breaking, and multiplying the meager meal—shifted the apostles' focus from their grief to serving others. Reverend Goff emphasized that holding a miracle makes it hard to dwell on past hurt. He then spotlighted Salome, the mother of James and John, who ministered to Jesus throughout his ministry, stood by at the crucifixion, and went to anoint his body. Despite the pain of witnessing her sons leave their fishing business and later seeing Jesus killed, she served faithfully behind the scenes. Salome’s name means peace, and she was among the women in the upper room at Pentecost who received the Holy Ghost. Reverend Goff declared that nothing heals deep hurt like the Holy Ghost, and that the blood of Jesus washes away pain and shame. He concluded by urging hearers to lay down their hurts—whether self-inflicted or caused by others—at the cross, become new creations in Christ, and experience the freedom and peace only the Holy Ghost provides.

Pastor Hilton preaches from Galatians 4:19-31, declaring that believers are children of promise, not of bondage. He explains the allegory of Sarah and Hagar, showing that as Isaac was born by promise, so are we. The message explores how God gives promises, and how the enemy works to prevent their fulfillment, but God's word cannot fail. He examines the barrenness of matriarchs like Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, emphasizing that every life and every promise comes by divine intervention. The pastor confronts the danger of tradition that nullifies God's word, urging the church to let truth supersede tradition. He insists that God is not slack concerning His promises, operating outside human time constraints. He calls the church to enlarge its tents, expecting spiritual birth and growth. The sermon's spiritual purpose is to awaken faith in God's promises, to reject doubt and fear, and to prepare the church for a season of harvest, where believers become both recipients and instruments of promise.

Bishop Riggen preached from Acts 2:17 and Joel 2:28, focusing on the prophecy that old men shall dream dreams and young men shall see visions. He corrected a common misconception that these dreams are about the past; rather, they are prophetic dreams from God about the future. The old men's dreams are not nostalgic but visionary, and they serve as the foundation and inspiration for the young men's visions. Using the illustration of Joseph—whose God-given dreams sustained him through betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment—Bishop Riggen emphasized that the dream does not originate with the dreamer but with God, so it cannot be killed. He tied this to the transfer of spiritual authority, explaining that the old men's dreams must be passed on so that the next generation can receive them as visions and see them fulfilled. Bishop Riggen recounted how his own dream for the church included planting other congregations rather than merely building a large local assembly, and he noted that God has exceeded his expectations through ministries started in Africa and elsewhere. He then enacted a formal transfer of the pastoral mantle to Brother Hilton, laying hands on him and calling the congregation to commit to follow him as they had followed Bishop Riggen. The sermon's spiritual purpose was to establish that the chain of faith and vision from one generation to the next is vital for the continued work of God's kingdom.

Bishop Riggen preaches from Mark 5:25-34 on the faith formula for receiving miracles, consisting of three elements: your dilemma, His divinity, and the catalyst of faith. He illustrates using the woman with the issue of blood who suffered twelve years, spent all on physicians, and only grew worse. Her desperate situation was the necessary first ingredient. When she heard of Jesus, she determined that touching His garment would make her whole—this was her faith mixing her dilemma with His divinity. Bishop Riggen emphasizes that God does not perform miracles without a need; every miracle in Scripture responds to a problem. The second ingredient is Christ's divinity, which must be invited into the dilemma. Using Mark 6:48, he shows Jesus would have passed by the storm-tossed disciples until they cried out. Faith is the catalyst that makes the formula work, as Hebrews 4:2 warns that the word preached profits nothing unless mixed with faith. In Luke 8, the woman's faith pulled virtue from Jesus before His humanity could deliberate, proving that determined faith triggers immediate response. Bishop Riggen also references the Syrophoenician woman (Matthew 15) who persisted despite rejection, and the father in Mark 9 who cried 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief'—showing even imperfect faith works. The spiritual purpose is to assure that Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), so the same formula guarantees miracles when believers mix their problems with faith in His divinity.